A Bookish Life In AK

I think Fall is the perfect time for The Hobbit and The Fellowship series. It’s a time for gathering together, a time for warm meals and sharing.

Fall is in full swing here in Alaska which means it’s time for cozy sweaters, fluffy blankets, fuzzy socks and of course, more books. I find myself lead more to my fantasy and science fiction books. This year I’ve decided to reread “The Hobbit” and the “Lord of the Rings” series and to me, the entire series embodies Fall. The Fellowship is always changing, meeting new people, losing friends, locations and enemies. I have forgotten how much I love these books. My dad is always talking about them and telling me that if he had read them before I was born, I would have been named Galadriel. I grew up listening to my dad telling me the stories, watching The Hobbit cartoon, you know the one where Leonard Nimoy is Gandalf. Wow, I really aged myself there, lol. I know the movies are good but when I read them, I hear a mix of Leonard Nimoy and Ian McKellan in my head, it’s interesting in there, what can I say.

Maybe it’s the family tie I have to the stories, but they just reinforce the theme of family. You have 4 hobbits, 2 are cousins, 2 Men, an Elf a Dwarf and a Wizard in “The Fellowship of the Ring” and they all work together to help Frodo get the ring to Mordor and along the way they find out who is trustworthy, who is not and who the real enemy is. They learn to work together, live together and fight together. In “The Hobbit” Bilbo and 12 Dwarves go and reclaim the Dwarves’ gold from Smaug the dragon. Bilbo grows and becomes confident throughout the entire story and the Dwarves learn to trust others not like them. These are all things that are found in family.

I am not talking about our biological families although I do have a wonderful one of those. I am also talking about the one you create in your community, where you live, work and play. I remember when I was a ranger at the Grand Canyon, away from home, the people I worked with become my family. We would have dinners and parties. When my husband and I got married and moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, a REALLY long way away from my family and his, our church and neighbors become our extended family, even some of guys my husband worked with we would consider them family. When he was deployed I was so grateful for that family. They would be there to watch my girls if I needed a break, playdate lunches and walks in the afternoon. Here on Kodiak, our church is our family more-so now that my in-laws have moved to Kentucky. Do we all get along all the time, no. But what family does? Do we love each other in spite of our faults? Yes. We grow and learn and love together. Our church has seen our family through rough times and good times. Not only our church but the entire church community here on Kodiak. I am apart of the Kodiak Christian Ladies and we have a 3 day retreat every year. I never had a sister, through this I have so many now.

Well, this is not how I saw this post going, but it is where it went. I know there are other books that emphasize family, “Little Women,” “Anne of Green Gables,” “Mistborn,” and “Alas, Babylon” to name a small few. Think about your community and who you can connect with to create family.

Prayers and Blessings, Becky